NVIDIA launches new Fermi-based Quadros

NVIDIA dropped some new hardware at SIGGRAPH 2010, updating its high-end …

NVIDIA used SIGGRAPH 2010 to unveil the newest versions of its high-end workstation Quadro line. As expected, the line-up is based on Fermi, the company's next-generation graphics architecture, and is available in mobile as well as various internal options for workstations or Quadro Plex systems.

The full roster announced Tuesday includes:

Mobile

Quadro 5000M

2GB memory

76.8GBps bandwidth

320 CUDA cores

Workstation cards

Quadro 4000

2GB memory

89.6GBps bandwidth

256 CUDA cores

Quadro 5000

2.5GB memory

120GBps bandwidth

352 CUDA cores

Quadro 6000

6GB memory

120GBps bandwidth

448 CUDA cores

All the workstation cards feature one dual-link DVI and two DisplayPort outputs. At the über-high end is the new Quadro Plex 7000, with 4 dual-link DVI outs, 896 CUDA cores, 12GB of memory, 144GBps bandwidth and a max FSAA of 128x while driving clusters of synced displays.

Aside from the standard Quadro features, the Fermi-based Quadros have some significant differences from the previous generation. There's now full OpenGL 4.1 and DirectX 11 support. The cards also support Shader model 5.0 and sport high-performance, double-precision floats, and ECC memory.

The last two features are mostly for increased accuracy and fault-proofing of GPU-based simulations. While 3D applications are demanding less Quadro-specific support, the rise of GPU-based renderers and increased use of GPUs in science should make the added memory and lower power requirements of the Quadros appealing to a lot of potential users.

We're still waiting to learn about specific cards and price tags from PNY, NVIDIA’s main Quadro manufacturer. Also notably missing from the list is a Mac-compatible Fermi card and, with the new Mac Pros announced Tuesday, it doesn't look like we'll see a GeForce option anytime soon. We'll be speaking with NVIDIA tomorrow, so we'll see if we can dig up some additional details on pricing, shipping, and Mac OS X compatibility.